Telephone instrument.



E. E. BENTLEY.

TELEPHONE INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED nov. 29. $915.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917 mlwzo 3 SHEETS-SHEET I F. E. BENTLEY.

TELEPHONE INSTRUMENT.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. 29. 1915.

F. E. BENTLEY.

TELEPHONE INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29. m5.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917 of the instrun'lent.

FREDERICK E. BENTLEY, 0F MAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI, ASEJGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH B. W. FRAUENTHAL, ONE-FOURTH TO A. S. JOHNSON, AND ONE-FOITRJ'FT-T "I" BURLINGAME, ALL OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

' "TELEPHONE msrnpmnn'r.

" Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented Mar. 2th, 191?;

Application flled November 29, 1915, sriai No. 63,971.

art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to' the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates broadly to telephony and more specifically to a special form of telephone instrument Whichin'cludes a transmitter and a receiver mounted together as v a unitary structure and specially equipped to operate as an amplifying or loud speaking telephone. a

I am aware that heretofore various amplifying attachments have been devised for connection to the receiver, and I am als'o aware that a receiver and a transmitter have been structurally united. The structural arrangement of my device, however, is essentially different from the devices heretofore designed, and the operation of and results obtainable with my device are much superior to the performances of former devices, particularly with respect to the clearness of reproduction, the freedom from disturbing influences and the convenience and ease of manipulation.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a-special form of telephone instrument adapted to operate as a loud speaking telephone and in which the receiver and transmitter are structurally combined in a unitary instrument.

A further object of my invention is to provide a form of loud speaking telephone wherein the receiver is so associated as to be protected and free from disturbing influences, either electrical or mechanical, arising either from conditions 'in the transmitter or contingent upon the customary use A further object. of my invention is to provide a structure m which t r ansmittpr and receiver are combined iii such fashion as to form an instrument most convenient to certain telephonic uses.

v invention further-resides in the pro VlSlOIl of various special parts the form.

and construction of which respectively are such as to make them most efficient in their various indii idual uses; v

Other and further objects of my invention will-be obvious or polnted out hereinafter.

In many fields of telephone use, loudv speaking receivers and instruments wherein there is no necessity for removing the receiver from the hook, are of exceptional utility. Such for instance is the field of train despatching, wherein messages must be delivered rapidly and communication between the despatching and receiving points established immediately. In such use the ringing or preliminary calling of the point of destination, and the operations at the points of destination incident to cutting the receiver into the line may well be obviated by the use of a loud speaking 'receiverwhich 1s constantly closed across the line' In such an arrangement, of course, messages transmitted from any one of the instruments on the line will be heard in all of the receivers on the line, a feature of importance in many fields of telephone use, inasmuch as all. of the operators at the receiving stations are kept advised as to all intelligence transmitted, and hence, as in the case of train despatching, all operators will be'kept advised as to all train movements directed or reported.

Heretofore the use of the loud speaking telephone has not proved successful in fields such as that of train .despatching, nor has the operation of such instruments heretofore proved agreeable to operators. Two factors contribute to this lack of success actual physical inconvenience in the use of the instrunient, and poorreproduction. The physical mconveinence arises in many instances from the structural sep'aration'of the transtherein, and a vibration in the receiver which operates ,to set up a hum or harmonic therein similar to the sound of the familiar howleri. I find that these affecting vibrations, when the receiver is structurally connecte'dwith the transmitter, may be caused .by the vibrations of the transmitter, transnitted. through the rigid framework of the instrument. Ialso find that these resonant.

vibrations in the amplifying horn'may be occasioned by casual vibrations in the receiver other than the irregular reproducing vibrations of the receiver diaphragm, which casual vibrations are imparted through rigid connections between the receiver casing and the horn. These casual vibrations n the recelver may arise from a number .of whfferent. causes, among which may be mentioned speaking or blowing into the ampli- ,fying' horn. In the instrument forming the subjectinatter of my invention, I provide a co'nstruction wherein both of these drawbacks .areeliminated and -whereby essentially new and useful results are obtained.

- .The accom an in drawin s illustrate.

embodiments of my invention vFigurel being aperspective view of one form of instrument embodying my invention;

i :Fig. 2 a front view of the upper portion "of a receiver horn therein employed;

Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating the connection between the receiver horn and 1ts supporting parts;

I Fig. 4 a vertical sectional view of the instrument showing certain of the standard equipment thereof in diagrammatic form;

. .-Fig. 5 a'detail illustrating part of the connection between the receiver and the receiver .Fig. 6 a side View partly in section of a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 7 a front view of the horn employed? therein.

Referring tothe drawings in detail, nu-

meral 1 indicates generally a standard or support forming a part of the instrument. and comprising a base portion2 and a barrel upper extremity of the barrel-portion is a collar or clamp 9 arranged to adjustably support the transmitterlo at one sideof the barrel portions The electrodes of the trans- I 'mitter are connected in the customary trarsmitter circuit 11, the wires leadinginto the I barrel portion through an aperture fitted .1 ifih --a bushing12. w R movably supported on the s@ndardis the receiver horn This is a' tapering tubular member having a bell or hood portion 15, and a shank portion 16 extending angularly relative to each other, the latter increasing gradually in di amete'r' from its lower'end toward the former, and the former flaring out rather abruptly in both transverse dimensions fromits junction with-"the latter." The horn is-disposedbn the -standard so that the shank portion projects" down into the barrel portion 4, and the hood portion extends forwardly over the transmitter 10. Immediately above the transmitter, the lower wall of the hood portionibbiit'rentrantly upon itself toward the top wall formingv a convolution 17 which partially divides the hood portion substantially into two lateral parts. At the loweren d of the horn is supported the receiver.18,;whichreceiver is of the watch-case form and-construction'commonly employed in customary" practice, except that the usual ear iec'e isreplaced by a screw cap 19 adapted the diaphragm in the customary fashiomend having a centrally arranged "short-tubular and encircling the sound aperture,v in the center of the cap. The receiveris suspended to clamp projection or sleeve 20 projecting'therefrom.=

from the small or lower end of the hornby means of a flexible sleeve 21, such as of rubber'tubing, one end of which encircles and v retains the sleeve 20, and theother-endof which encircles and is, retained upon the lower end of the horn. A curtain 2210f gauze or similar material is disposed to cover the lower end of the horn, to efiectively. pr.e"-';

vent the passageof foreign material from the horn into the receiver, while, permitting transmission of vibrations from the receiver diaphragm. Light andflexible springs-24:

are attached to the receiver and have-up-; wardly extending portions which are clamped against the'rubber sleeve 21 over the end of the horn by any suitable securing means such as'the wires 25; The coils-of the receiver are connected in the customary secondary or receiver circuit including'the condenser 8 and the secondary coilsxof the induction coil- The connection of the receiver to the horn, while suchas to'provide a secure support for the receiver,- provides a cushioned suspension, the sleeve 21 possessing such flaccidity as-to prevent thetrans n'iission to the receiver of such-vibrations or mechanical disturbances asare competentto set up .a harmonic vibration in the receiver diaphragm. The springs 24, while having the proper tensile strength to form a secure connectionfbetween the horn and the receiver, do not have suflicient rigidity, to.

transmit such vibrations to the receiver, nor.

are they in actualcontact-with the horn-.1 In order to preventthe transmission: .10f

disturbing vibrations from the standard; to the horn, I provide "a flexible conne.

ction in operating to damp out such vibrations.

the form of the collar 26, in the nature of a rubber ring or rubber tube, which is disposed in an annular groove about the upper end of the barrel, and which is adapted to receive the shank portion of the horn and provide a supporting bearing for the horn upon the standard while holding the horn actually apart from contact with the standard. In this fashion, the horn is mechanically insulated from any vibrations in the stai .ar(l which will be competent to affect the receiver or set up a resonant vibration in the horn, the flaccidity of the rubber collar In Fig. 3 is illustrated an arrangement for preventing unintentional removal of the horn from the standard. On the sides of the standard are mounted rather stiff spring clips 29 having their upper ends extended above theupper ends of the barrel, and deflected inwardly to form engaging lugs. On the horn, a distance above theupper end of the barrel, is disposed an annular collar 30. \Vhen the horn is placed in the barrel the springs 29 are sprung outwardly to permit the passage of the collar, and then allowed to spring back to their normal position wherein the engaging lugs are over the annular collar, but out of contact therewith. By virtue of this arrangement, if the instrument were picked up by the horn, thehorn would not be removed, but would be retained on the standard by the engagement of the collar against the lugs of the springs. Innormal position, however, with the collar and springs out of engagement, there is no metallic connection such as would permit the transmission of vibrations from the standard to the horn. The horn, together with the receiver, may be removed from the standard by pushing back the springs and withdrawing the shankof the horn and the receiver upwardly through the barrel.

The operation of the transmitter and the receiver in this instrument is the same as in customary practice except that with the connections diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4, the receiver is constantly closed acros the line. By the proper "insertion of a switch, however, it is obvious that the instrument may be arranged so that the receiver may be cut out of the line, and closed on the line as desired. The horn, 05 course, provides aresonance column 0v r? the receiver diaphragm which operates to amplify the sound from the receiver to the degree necessary to make the reproductions audible at a distance from the horn. The relative disposal of the mouth of the horn, which is the auditory outlet of the receiver, and the transmitter, is such that when the operator is in. position to speak into the-transmitter,

his ears are perforce in front of theauditory outlet of the receiver, and hence in an received. By virtue of this construction, therefore, I secure an instrument wherein the transmitter and the receiver are structurally united in a single instrument which may be conveniently handled in use, and in which the relative disposal of the transmitter and the auditory outlet of the receiver is such as to contribute maximum convenience in the use of the instrument'and enable its being employed most effectively. At the same time, this construction provides an assembly of transmitter, receiver and amplifying horn such as prevents or inhibits the transmission to the receiver and to the horn of such vibrations as are competent to produce a harmonic vibration of the receiver diaphragm, or a resonant vibration in the horn. Hence, in conjunction with the convenient relative disposal of parts, this structure provides an instrument which will give a clear reproduction, entirely free from chattering, howling, or other interfering noises.

The receiver horn is designed as to form so that it may best perform its function, and also lend itself to the most convenient Inanipulation of the instrument.- \Vhen the head of the operator is in the proper position for using the instrument, it will be seen that the mouth or hell of the horn is directed forwardly toward the auditory organs, while the convolution in the lower wall of the horn provides a space for the operators nose, thereby preventing the air currents occasioned by the operators breathing from passing into the horn/and thus protecting the receiver from this influence which might operate to set up casual vibrations therein. The open end of the horn rests in front of the operate-N5 eyes,'and the hood or bell of the horn forms an effective shade or shield in proper disposal relative to the transmitter to house and shade a telephotic reproducing screen.

In Figs. 6 and 7, is shown a modified form of the horn and barrel, the same being designed to accommodate a visual screen 27 set in the back of the horn in the line of vision of the operator when his head is in position to use the instrument. form, the visual screerfprovides a transparent window in the rear of the horn through which the operator, while using the instru- In this ment, may look for the purpose of seeing a sheet upon which he may be writing, without necessitating his turning his mouth away from the transmitter, as would be necessirear so that its upper edge is sloping as in the fashion shown. With this construction, the hood forms an eye shade for the operator, permitting him to concentrate his enntageous position to hear the messages tire attention upon his Work without being 13L distracted by irrelevant things Within what otherwise would be his zone of vision.

iIr' the'use of the device as shown in Fig. '4, in which, as above stated, the receiver is constantly closed across the line, the operator will hear all messages delivered onto the line.

H When the operator Wishes to talk onto, the line, he closes switch 6 by pressing inwardly the push button 28. This operates to close the battery on the primary circuit and the secondary circuit through the induc- 3' tion": coil. The structure obviously formsa unitary loud speaking instrument which ggy-be transported or moved about in use infits integrity,which is sightly and well balanced in appearance, and which is adaptedi for use in situations inwhich the; well known desk instrument 1S commonly employed, being self-sustaining on its base and conveniently handled. 1am aware that the device isobviously 'l'i i' s'gptible of changes, adaptations and modifications not herein specifically illustrated or described, but still within the scope spirit of my invention as indicated in the following claims.

1 What I claim is:

In a telephone nstrument, the combination of a yieldingly supported horn, and a telephone receiver suspended therefrom with it s vibratory portion in operable association tion ofan -amplifying horn, a telephone receiver disposed with its diaphragm in operative relationship thereto, and yieldable connecting members whereby the receiver is supported on the horn.

40 I phone receiver disposed with its diaphragm 3. Ina telephone instrument, a rigid supporting stand, an amplifying horn, a tele:

in operative association with the horn, and

relatively flaccid connecting members for Supporting the horn on the stand d th Ceiveron the horn.

4, In a telephone instrument,,the combination'of a supporting stand, a transmitter supported thereon, an amplifying horn removably supported on said stand with a .por-

tionextending within the latter and aportion disposed exterior thereof in operative association with the. transmitter, and a receiver supported on the born out of contact with the support, and having its vibratoryportion operably associated with the horn.

5. telephone instrument including the combination of a support, a telephone transmitter supported at the upper portion thereof, an amplifying horn carried on the sup port and having a bell or mouth portion eX-- tendingfrom the support above the transmitter, a portion of said bell being transparent, and a telephone receiver operatively associated w th sa d horn.

6571a an instrument for the electrical In a telephone instrument, the combinatransmission of intelligence, a support, a

sound transmitting device disposed atthe front thereof, a horn having a hood and mouthportion disposed above the transmittingtdevice and in the line of vision of an operator using the-latter, and a visual. screen carried by said hood. 7

.7. In a telephone instrument, the combination of a support, a telephone transmitter and receiver'mounted thereon, a. hood member operably associated with the re- I ceiver and disposed above the transmitter, the lower wall of said-hood member above said transmitter being fg 'med with a reentrant convolution to permit its being placed in association with the eyes and ears of an bination of a stand, an amplifying horn supported thereon, a telephone receiver disposed inoperative association with the horn, and a yieldable member operatively connecting the horn and the receiver and maintaining the latter out of contact with the horn and the stand. a

10. In a telephone instrument, the com bination of a support, a receiver-horn. interengaging members carried by said norn and said support for retaining the former upon the latter, and a yieldable membersupportingsaid horn on said support with said inter-engaging members out of contact with each other.

. 11. A telephone instrument including a stand having a base portion and-a barrel portion extending upwardly therefrom, a telephone transmitter supported on the bai rel portion, a telephone receiver disposed within the-base portion, and a receiver horn supported on the barrel portion and operatively associated with the receiver.

12. A telephone instrument including a stand having a barrel portion, a receiver disposed within the barrel portion, and yieldingly supported from the stand, and a-horn supported on the barrel portion and having a bell portion extending outwardly therefrom and ashank portion extending down.-

wardly into operative association with the receiver. 7

13. A teleplione instri iment including a stand having a SIIPPOICIHQ base and a barrel portion extending upwardly from said base,

an amplifying horn removablysupported onsaidbarrel portion and having a bell portion opening laterally, and a receiver yieldingly sfipported within the stan& and in 00- Jtel supported below ancl adjacent the bell operative relationship with the horn. portion. 14. A telephone instrument of the stand Intestimony whereof I hereunto affix may type terminating at itsupper extremity in a signature in the presence of two Witnesses,

forwardly opemng hell or hood portion, a this 26th day of November, 1915.

shank portion extending downwardly there- F. E, BENTLEY.

from a receiver operably associated with the W tnesses:

lower extremity of said shank and yieldably G. S. BUTLER,

supported Within the stand, and a transmit- M. P. SMITH. 

